Sunday, 25 August 2013

52 Weeks of Happy...45/52

Hello! I feel a bit naughty here, sneaking off to use the laptop and posting this all the way from France, but I wanted to share some of my happy moments from this last week, and it's always fun to join in with Jen's project. I am enjoying something of an internet break here. We have plug-in internet in the house we are renting but no wifi (apart from the 20 minutes I had at a cafe by a lake last Thursday) so I've hardly been online at all since we arrived. At first I felt quite lost, especially without facebook and instagram on my phone, but now I have settled into it quite happily. I sometimes even forget to take my phone out with me or look for it and find the battery is flat - that never happens at home. So here are four (and gosh it was hard choosing only four!) little moments from the last week(ish). And yes, I'm late, but I'm on holiday time - I barely know what day of the week it is - and feel that, like lunchtime drinking, it's allowed.

1. The sunrise when we woke at 5.30 am last Saturday to catch the ferry. I've only set the alarm on my phone twice so far - the first time was when we had to catch our early morning flight to Copenhagen in May and the second was last weekend - so I now rather happily associate the bleep with that "about to go on holiday" feeling.

2. A safe and smooth (and sickness free) channel crossing. The holiday starts when you get on the ferry for me and it was wonderful to see Bella and Angus enjoy this part of the holiday as much as I do.

3. The view from our bathroom window. We are truly out in the sticks here (hence the lack of wifi) and it's beautiful countryside.

4. Long, hot evenings and spectacular sunsets, especially when you glimpse a hot air balloon at the same time. I know it looks perilously close to the power cables there, but we watched it land safely in a nearby field.

Thank you so much for your response to my Colour Collaborative post on vintage colour. I loved reading your comments and thoughts, I really did. I'm sorry there's been so little blog reading this end but I will make up for that on my return. A bientot!

Enjoy every minute Gillian, and then please share with us when you get home. For us France is 36 hour eternity of travel hell with small children before we get to crack open the champagne and scoff croissants so it is nice to be able to live vicariously through your travels. mel x

Hi Gillian,I think you're having the perfect holiday!!!You're not suppose to know what time or day it is!!!The views are just beautiful!!!And that sunset is amazing!!!Enjoy the rest of your holiday!!!LoveAMarie

What a beautiful sunrise and other happies. I know exactly what you mean, we also had some internet whilst away, but it was all a bit complicated, so once I got over the first few days withdrawels, I actually quite enjoyed the break from it. Hope you are having a wonderful holiday still. Enjoy xoxo

I've just discovered your blog and am a big fan already. I am planning on making some apple-blackberry jam (from your post last year) and I hope you don't mind if I ask a question about it! Back in the US when we made jam as kids we always used mason jars with screw-on-lids. Here in the UK I am only finding jars with those usual flat lids, like you'd get in the supermarket. (Like you used in your picture) I can't find information anywhere on if these things need to be processed in a hot water bath like the mason jars or not. What did you do?

Thanks so much and sorry for dragging up an old post. (But it's such a great one!) I'm enjoying going through the archives.

Hello Amanda, thanks for you lovely comment. You can buy mason jars online here but the flat lid sort are the ones I usually use. I never process anything in a hot water bath. I sterilise the jars before hand (wash well in hot soapy water or dishwasher then dry in the oven - lots of details on the internet about how to do this) then when I'm ready pour the warm jam straight into the warm jars, screw on sterilised lid and leave to cool and set. Hope that makes some sense and helps you out.